March 25, 2010
Manatee deaths jump to new record in Florida
Reporting by Tom Brown; Editing by Sandra Maler MIAMI (Reuters) – At least 431 manatees have died in Florida waters so far this year, exceeding in less than three months the total for any full calendar year on record, authorities said on Tuesday. A preliminary report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission attributed most of the deaths of the marine mammals to “cold stress syndrome” during this year’s unusually harsh winter. With 431 manatee deaths, Florida has already surpassed the record-high number of 429 fatalities that occurred in state waters last year. That was the most for any year since record-keeping began in 1974. …
